Bon Appetit and Save the Liver!

I admit that I have a small girl crush on Julia Child.  She is fascinating.  I remember watching her on PBS when I was little and watching Dan Akroyd's famous sketch on Youtube.  I've never cooked from her cookbooks or read any books about her.  Shame on me.  Cooking just seemed too time consuming and I never remembered her when at the library.  I watched Julie and Julia and was not that impressed with the movie.  Mostly because Julie Powell irritated the piss out of me.

I was at the library two weeks ago and picked up Dearie: The Remarkable Life of Julia Child by Bob Spitz.  Despite my annoyance with Spitz's writing style, I could not put it down.  I devoured this book.  Here is my opinion (though not very well written).  Before I was finished with this book, I went to the library and checked out Mastering the Art of French Cooking and My Life in France, Julia's autobiography.  I paged through the cookbook, which is incredibly thorough, and thought the recipes looked incredibly complicated.  So I decided to hit Youtube.  I watched her first episode of The French Chef, the Boeuf Bourguignon episode.  And it looked easy.  So I watched her quiche episode (watch it here), and that looked easy, despite the complicated recipe.  That's just it.  Her recipes are not that complicated.  They are written so that every step is fully explained for the beginner.

I felt inspired.  I wanted to cook something.  So I made a quiche.  I wish I would have taken a picture.  It turned out beautifully.  We were starving though and wanted to dig in right away.  It made a very nice light supper (and was excellent for lunch). Ken surpised me by saying it was good.  He doesn't like "fancy" cooking.  The only thing he said was that it would have been good with something more added, like tomato or bacon.  I just added sauteed onions and Muenster cheese.  I enjoyed it too.  A2 just said it was okay.

Find her Quiche Lorraine recipe here.  

Just in case you want to watch it, the Boeuf Bourguignon show.

And because Julia loved to show people this, I have to share it.  Sadly, I couldn't find one to post directly here but here is a link.   It's a classic.

Bon Appetit!

Homemade Vegetable Stock

I love using stock while cooking.  It adds a much better flavor than the powdered bouillon I usually use.  I never thought of using vegetable stock before.  Just beef or chicken. I have never made a meat based stock so have no idea how  easy it is too make. Veggie stock, however, is super easy.  Plus, it has a great golden color and super flavor.

I came across a tip in an old magazine to save the ends and bits you don't use when cutting up vegetables to make stock with.  I keep a gallon size Ziploc in my freezer just for this purpose.  My usually ends up consisting of just onions, carrots and celery.  I put skins, root ends, peelings and whatever else I would normally throw in the trash or compost in the baggie.  When the bag finally fills up, then it's time to make stock.

My freezer bag currently only has some celery in it.

I threw the veggies in my stock pot, filled it with water, and let it come to a boil.  Once it was boiling, I turned the heat down to low and let it simmer all day.

That's right.  All day.  If you are going to do this, make sure it is on a day when you are home all day.  I start it in the morning and take it off the heat before bed.  I check on it occasionally and add water if it is getting low.

I only put the vegetable peelings in it.  I don't add salt but you could add some if you want.

Simmering

Once it has cooled, I put it in quart sized freezer bags.  I measure out the stock, and just pour it in.  I then push as much air out as possible before sealing it.  Make sure to do this step over a bowl.  If the bag leaks or you spill, you don't lose that stock.  I lay the bags flat in a baking dish and freeze them.
Before freezing, I usually let it sit out for an hour or so to make sure the bags aren't leaking.

Ready to go in the freezer

When I need to use some stock, I just thaw one out in a pan or bowl.

Easy peasy lemon squeezy.

Twice Baked Potato Casserole

Sometimes a person is just in the mood for some good old comfort food.  No counting calories or carbs.  Just something that makes you feel good.  I was at a loss yesterday with what to make for dinner.  Ken and A2 were going hunting and would want something rib sticking when they got home at night.

So what's a girl to do?  Hit Pinterest, of course.  I pinned this yesterday morning.  It's a recipe from Paula Dean, y'all.  Yeah, yeah.  I know, her recipes are loaded with fat and carbohydrates and super unhealthy.  But like I said, sometimes you just need comfort food and that is exactly what she does best.  This recipe comes courtesy of the Dallas Morning News.  Click on over if you want to see what their version looks like.

This was pretty easy to throw together.  I did make some changes to my recipe, which made it even more calorie laden than before.

Twice-Baked Potato Casserole

Ingredients

8 medium baking potatoes, about 4 pounds
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, at room temperature
½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 pint sour cream
2 cups ( ½ pound) shredded sharp cheddar cheese (divided use)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 ½ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon pepper
¼ cup chopped chives, for garnish
6 slices bacon, cooked crisp, drained and crumbled, for garnish

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 F. Pierce potatoes and place on baking pan. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, until very soft.

Peel and mash potatoes in large bowl with potato masher or back of fork. Add cream cheese, butter, sour cream and 1 cup of cheddar. Stir well. Add garlic, salt and pepper, and stir again.

Spray a 13x9-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Place potato mixture in dish, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate casserole until ready to bake.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 F, remove plastic wrap and bake casserole 30 to 35 minutes until hot. Sprinkle remaining 1 cup cheddar over casserole and return to oven for about 5 minutes, until cheese melts. Garnish with chopped chives and crumbled bacon before serving. Makes 10 to 12 servings. 

 

What I Made

 

I didn't sprinkle the top with chives because I'm lazy like that.  I did add some minced onions for a bit of oniony flavor.  I used an entire pound of bacon (Oh, the humanity!) and mixed 3/4 of it in with the potatoes and sprinkled the rest on top.  We love our bacon.  Plus, I had a pound in the fridge that needed to be used in the next few days.

 

 Final Verdict

I liked it.  It is nothing special but it just tasted good.  Ken said he's not into this kind of food but it was okay.  A2 said it was "pretty good" and had two helpings.  I guess I'll keep this in the rotation but just as an occasional meal or side because it's so unhealthy.  It would be excellent for potlucks  though.

 

 

Homemade Cough Syrup

Well, we are sick in this household.  Ken has an awful cough and I have an earache, soar throat, sinus congestion, and general achiness.  I'm actually going to post this and crawl back into bed.  One of the nice things about working part time is that you can stay in bed when you're sick.

Anyways, I am a big fan of Pinterest.   It can turn out to be a huge time suck for me.  Especially when I pin things with good intentions to actually do them.  I have done a few things and will continue to do them.  I thought I would post about my successes and failures on Pinterest in a little series called Pinned It! Did It!


I'm a big fan of home remedies.  Since I try to keep chemicals out of my cleaning products and food, it makes sense to keep them out of my body when I'm sick.   I had horrible sinus congestion about a month back and decided to look for something to help my aching head.

I came across this glorious concoction on Pinterest a couple months ago courtesy of good food matters.  I knew I had to pin it with cold and flu season coming up.

I modified the recipe a bit so it looks like this.

Homemade Cough Syrup
1/4 teaspoon Cayenne
1/4 teaspoon ground Ginger
1/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/4 teaspoon Onion Powder
1 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar (use one that has the mother in it, ex.  Bragg's Organic)
1 Tablespoon Honey

Put in a small container and mix well.  It will make a suspension type liquid  that you have to mix well before each use.  Take one Tablespoon as needed.
 

The Finished Product

 I'm sure you are all wondering how it tastes.  It tastes like a salad dressing with a little kick.  It's not hot and actually tastes pretty good.  It helps clear up sinuses and knocked out my sore throat within a half hour.  I can't tell you how it works on a cough because Ken refuses to take any kind of medicine, especially my "snake oil".  

I keep mine in an old honey jar.  I removed the water from the original recipe to keep it shelf stable.  The dose I took this morning has been sitting for a month and was still good.  I added garlic and onion because I believe those ingredients are just good for you when you are sick.

Now for the necessary disclaimer:  I do not claim to have  expertise in any medical or pharmacological field.  Any home remedy I recommend is based on my own use.  Try at your own risk.